Prompt – The Black Death
Part 1 – The Basics
Watch video on how to setup you Google Docs file.
Write your answers to the prompts in your Google Docs file. Make sure you use the writing frames to
get you started. Watch the video…
Read the primary source document: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pfplague.htm
Answer these questions about the Black Death from the reading. Use the writing frame will help you
frame your answer to all of these questions into one paragraph:
1. Read the first 4 paragraphs – Based on your reading, what was the Black Death?
2. Read the “Signs of Impending Death” section – based on your reading, what are the
symptoms?
3. Read the “Varying Reactions to Disaster” section. Based on your reading, what are three
different ways people tried to avoid the Black Death?
4. Read the “Breakdown of Social Order” section – based on your reading, how did the Black
Death begin to break down the social order?
5. Read the “Mass Burials” section – based on your reading, describe the different ways the dead
were buried?
In the primary source document “___________________________”, written by ___________, it
(in general, what is the Decameron all about)
describes ___________________________________________.
The Black Death was _____________.
According to the description in the Decameron, the symptoms were _____________________________.
Three different ways people tried to avoid the Black Death were _______________________________.
(Explanation of each of the three ways you listed above)
____________________________________________________________________________________.
The Black Death began to break down the social order by _____________________________________.
The dead were buried _________________________________________________________________.
Part 2 – Analyzing Maps
Analyze the maps. What does each map tell us? Looking at the legend can be a big help. Check out the
map of the Black Death…Answer the following questions using the map and the text from the website
you just read.
Progress of the
bubonic plague
Trade routes
1. What data do the arrows represent?
2. What data do the lines represent?
3. By analyzing the data presented in the map, what conclusions can you draw about the origin of
the Black Death, where it spread, and who seems to have carried and spread the disease (Hint:
what paths does the disease seem to follow)? Cite evidence from the map to support your
opinion. Use the writing frame to help you answer your question.
Part 2 Writing Frame:
According to the map, the Black Death started in _________________ and ended its spread near
(City or region)
____________________. The evidence from the map to support this is _____________________.
(City or region)
(Explanation of how you know)
Based on analyzing the map, it is evident that the Black Death must have been spread by
_________________________. According to the map,_________________________________.
(who or what spread the Black Death)
(Explanation of how you knew)
1. What NEW data can we find on this map that we couldn’t find on the previous one?
2. Based on your analysis of this map, about how long did it take for the Black Death to spread
from China to Europe? Cite evidence from the map to support your claim.
Use the writing frame to help frame your response:
The map titled “__________________”, provides two types of data. It shows us ______________ and
(Map Title)
(First type of data)
_________________. Based on careful analysis of the data, it is evident that the Black Death took
(Second type of data)
approximately _____________________ to run its course. This is supported by ___________________
(No. of years)
(Explanation/commentary
how you arrived at your
conclusion)
Bonus Section – Only if you want to………………………………extra credit.
1. Go do a Google search and find out how many people died from the disease in China?
2. How many people died in Europe?
3. Write up your answers, using a writing frame, to give credit to that source.
Part 3 – Black Death Art
Watch this video to help you create a chart using these column headings:
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Time Period
Artist name:
Name of the painting
Types of colors used (dark, light, bright, dull)
Description/list of what is on the canvas (peasants, a farm, grim reaper, etc.)
Theme (what seems to be the main idea or topic of the art)
What seems to be the message the artist is telling us?
Time Period
Artist Name
Name of
Painting
1562
Peter
Bruegel (the
elder)
Triumph of
Death
Types of colors
in piece of art
Dark and
Gloomy colors
Description of
art
Towns and
building
destroyed and
burned. People
dying and dead
everywhere
Theme/message
Death and
Destruction of
entire towns
http://www.powayusd.com/teachers/kjain/SocialScience/7thgrade/WebQuest/Black%20Death/art_of_t
he_black_death.htm
Analyze each piece of art and record your answers in the chart.
Artwork is an important resource historians use to help them understand what people of a certain
culture or time period really had on their minds. It illustrates what people liked or thought about or
what were the big issues of the day. By analyzing artwork and noticing patterns, or themes, historians
can start to draw conclusions as what was on peoples’ minds during a specific time period.
Now, look at the chart and search for patterns. What kinds of things do you notice each piece of art
seems to have in common? What does each one seem to leave out? When you start to notice some
patterns, those patterns will help you answer the prompt.
Prompt Question: What was on the minds of people during the time period of the Black Death? Back
up your “hypothesis” with concrete evidence from at least 3 different pieces of the artwork. Write your
answers, using the writing frame, in your original Black Death Google Doc. Do not write it in your Chart
file.
Writing frame:
A theme of artwork during the time period of the Black Death is _____________________________.
(State the theme you found)
For example, in the painting “_____________” by ____________, there is an image/symbol of
(Painting title)
(Artist name)
_____________________________________. This shows that the artist _________________________
(Description of image)
(Explanation of what
____________________________________. In a second piece of art “____________” by ___________,
that image represents)
(Painting title)
(Artist name)
you find ________________________________. This illustrates that ____________________________.
(Description of image)
(Explanation of what that image represents)
In a third piece of art “____________”, by _____________, you can see __________________________.
(Painting title)
(Artist name)
(Description of image)
Once again, the pattern of _______________________________________________________________.
(Explanation of what that image represents)
As a result, it is clear that ____________________________________ was on the minds of the people of
(Re-state the theme you found)
Europe during the Black Death.